World

US lawmakers file bill urging accountability for Assad government

Published

10 months ago

July 20, 2023

US lawmakers file bill urging accountability for Assad government

Bill comes as Arab governments move to rekindle relations with al-Assad government after years of diplomatic isolation.

Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have introduced a bill urging the United States to support international efforts to hold the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

In a statement on Thursday, Tlaib said that victims of Syria’s civil war have not yet received justice, with perpetrators facing few consequences.

“Assad’s regime committed some of the worst atrocities of the 21st century during the country’s civil war that began in 2011,” Tlaib said in the statement.

“These include but are not limited to the use of sarin gas and other chemical weapons against civilians, the widespread use of torture, and the deliberate targeting of civilians with conventional weapons.”

The bill comes as Arab governments move to bring the Assad regime in from the cold after years of diplomatic isolation. But the US, under the administration of President Joe Biden, has insisted that it will not follow in their footsteps.

The Syrian civil war began as a series of uprisings against the repressive policies of the Assad government, but the conflict grew, drawing in numerous foreign powers and militant groups. It has since displaced nearly half of Syria’s pre-war population and killed about half a million people.

Thursday’s statement from Tlaib and Omar says that their bill is designed to encourage the US to throw its weight behind efforts to create international justice mechanisms to hold the Assad government accountable.

“The international community has previously established ad hoc tribunals, special courts, and other justice mechanisms through the United Nations to bring justice in specific countries where there have been war crimes,” their statement reads.

“Given the sheer number and scale of the atrocities committed during Syria’s civil war, an international justice mechanism is clearly necessary.”

Last month, war crimes investigators concluded that the Syrian government had deployed “shabbiha” militias to clamp down on dissent, using methods such as torture and sexual violence against perceived opponents.

In June, Syrian survivors of “enforced disappearances” — which can involve arrests, detentions and abductions done in secret — also called on the United Nations to support efforts to locate the roughly 100,000 Syrians who remain missing and bring perpetrators to justice. Enforced disappearances are considered a crime against humanity under international law.

However, as Assad has cemented his control over large swathes of the country, leaders across the Arab world have taken steps to repair ties with the Syrian government that were damaged or broken off during the war.

In May, the Arab League made the controversial decision to reinstate Syria’s membership after suspending it more than 10 years ago. Critics of Assad’s administration expressed dismay at the decision, seeing it as a vindication of the methods used by his government.

Tlaib and Omar, members of a group of progressive US legislators, have been vocal critics of alleged rights abuses committed in Syria, as well as in US allies such as Israel, Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this week, they boycotted a speech given by Israeli President Isaac Herzog before members of Congress, citing accusations by Palestinians and numerous human rights groups that the Israeli government is perpetuating the crime of apartheid.

Last month, Omar and Tlaib also boycotted a speech before Congress by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government has been accused of stifling dissent and encouraging violence and discrimination against minorities.

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World

John Stamos Shares Full House Reunion Photo With Olsen Twins in Honor of Bob Saget’s Birthday

Published

52 mins ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

John Stamos Shares Full House Reunion Photo With Olsen Twins in Honor of Bob Saget’s Birthday

Full House Cast Reunion With Mary-Kate, Ashley Olsen — Bob Saget Tribute

World

Climate activists glue themselves to Munich airport runway, pausing traffic

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Climate activists glue themselves to Munich airport runway, pausing traffic

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A group of climate protesters have been arrested in Germany after breaking into an airport and gluing themselves to the runway.

Six activists broke through security fencing at Munich airport in the German state of Bavaria on Saturday, according to the news outlet dpa.

Approximately sixty flights were canceled after the half-dozen protesters glued themselves to the tarmac, forcing officials to temporarily close the airport.

CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR BLOCKING AIRSTRIP IN MASSACHUSETTS

Climate activists lie on an access road for runways at the Munich airport. German officials and local media say authorities closed down Munich airport temporarily after six climate activists broke through a security fence and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways. ( (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP))

An additional fourteen flights into Munich were forced to divert to other nearby airports to avoid the disruption.

Climate protest coalition Last Generation took credit for the stunt, claiming it was intended to draw attention to the German government’s inaction on the airline industry’s environmental impact.

CLIMATE GROUP TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR US OPEN CHAOS, OFFERS WARNING: ‘NO TENNIS ON A DEAD PLANET’

Munich Germany Bavaria Airport Climate Activists Protest Glue Runway

Climate activists stuck to a runway access road at Franz-Josef-Strauß Airport early Saturday morning. Climate protection activists paralyzed Munich Airport after breaking into the inner area of the airport grounds. The activists from the group Last Generation were protesting flying, the most polluting form of transportation, said the German news agency dpa on Saturday. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images)

All six protesters were arrested and charged by law enforcement.

“Trespassing in the aviation security area is no trivial offense. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Pentecost holiday,” German Airports Association General Manager Ralph Beisel told dpa.

Police and firefighters stand on a runway access road at Franz-Josef-Strauß Airport around climate activists who have stuck themselves there. According to their own statements, members of the so-called Last Generation had planned to enter the airport grounds in order to block at least one of the two runways. (Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images))

“Such criminal actions threaten air traffic and harm climate protection because they only cause lack of understanding and anger,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote about the protests on social media platform X.

The Munich incident was just one of many similar protests around the world against air transportation. Last Generation has performed at least two similar airport disruptions in Germany since last year.

World

Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions

Freezing hundreds of billions of dollars in lenders’ assets was part of dispute over gas project halted by sanctions.

A Russian court has ordered the seizure of the assets, accounts, property and shares of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in the country as part of a lawsuit involving the German banks, court documents showed.

The banks are among the guarantor lenders under a contract for the construction of a gas processing plant in Russia with the German company Linde. The project was terminated due to Western sanctions.

European banks have largely exited Russia after Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in 2022.

A court in St Petersburg ruled in favour of seizing 239 million euros ($260m) from Deutsche Bank, documents dated May 16 showed.

Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt said it had already provisioned about 260 million euros ($283m) for the case.

“We will need to see how this claim is implemented by the Russian courts and assess the immediate operational impact in Russia,” the bank added in a statement.

The court also seized the assets of Commerzbank, another German financial institution, worth 93.7 million euros ($101.85m) as well as securities and the bank’s building in central Moscow.

The bank is yet to comment on the case.

In a parallel lawsuit on Friday, the Russian court also ordered UniCredit’s assets, accounts and property, as well as shares in two subsidiaries, to be seized. The ruling covered 462.7 million euros ($503m) in assets.

UniCredit said it “has been made aware” of the decision and was “reviewing” the situation in detail. The bank was one of the most exposed European banks when Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, with a large local subsidiary operating in Russia.

It began preliminary discussions on a sale last year, but the talks have not advanced. Chief executive Andrea Orcel said UniCredit wants to leave Russia, but added that gifting an operation worth three billion euros ($3.3bn) was not a good way to respect the spirit of Western sanctions on Moscow over the conflict.

Russia has faced heavy Western sanctions, including on its banking sector, since the start of the war in Ukraine. Dozens of US and European companies have also stopped doing business in the country.